Edmonton food incubation hub gets $600,000 in city funding

Kirsta Franke with the Wild Heart Collective and Tim Hengel, in the building where they hope to open 13 collective kitchens to help Edmonton food businesses scale up and launch new products in Edmonton, March 2, 2019.Ed Kaiser / Postmedia

“We’re working with grassroots organizations and small businesses to help them scale their dreams,” said Kirsta Franke, one of the founders of The Public, which is a for-profit organization governed by a society and a public advisory committee.

Franke said of the 15,000-square-foot space that The Public has leased will eventually have 13 kitchens, storage and office space, as well as a public section with cafe, retail space and an area for events.

The total cost of getting The Public up and running is about $3 million, Franke said. She said they’ve also secured a $231,000 provincial grant, and other private investment. She said the city funding means they’ll be able to access other government grants as well.

The Public has a 10-year lease on space in a brick warehouse in Central McDougall, with an option to eventually buy it. The plan has also attracted support from local business and community groups, with proponents saying it will help buoy revitalization efforts on 105 Avenue.

Franke said that they’re ready to hit the “go button” immediately, and construction is expected to start in May or June.

“Businesses, quite frankly, needed this yesterday,” she said.

Coun. Michael Walters said a food hub has been part of city planning efforts for about 10 years, and he’s happy to see a local business group step up and take on the project.

“I think it was a no-brainer for us to fund today,” he said, adding that Edmonton has fallen behind other cities with the presence of this type of incubator.